"To me the biggest amount of wasted food is prepared food," said Katy Bunder, executive director of Food Finders, a food rescue program in Indiana that redistributes unsellable food to food banks.

Programs like Food Finders are one way grocery stores and restaurants are trying to cut down on food waste.
But Bunder said she's scrambling to deal with waste from pre-made meals as more stores cater to convenience shoppers with ready-made dishes.

"We can't repackage it, freeze it, hold on to it and then distribute it through our mobile pantry the next day," Bunder said.